mementosola | a thousand cherry blossoms dissolve into the night

[He's immediately over to her, even if he's still half blinded by that last attack. It's interesting to note that Retsu hasn't been using his ascendant form - either he feels he doesn't need it, or it's too much of a strain in some way. Just his base transformation, even in situations like this.]

[But powers aside, he's immediately rushing to catch her, his mask splitting down the middle, sliding to the side and folding up some as he narrows the gap in seconds to make sure she's allright.]

Damnit! I told you it's more dangerous if more than one of us is here, and, besides...

[He's a little too concerned checking her over to finish that sentence.]

[Whereas Hisoka's base form has all but been destroyed...the nature of her ascendancy meant while she could, in theory, do so again, she cannot go back.]

Besides...what?

[Even short of breath, even still so dizzy she can't quite see him, Hisoka smiles, nothing short of the grace she's always had.

'I promised myself two years ago, that even if I wasn't powerful enough to fight alongside you forever, I'd still save you.']

It's... it's your birthday, isn't it? You should be at home, or, or out with your friends, or doing literally anything else but this, today. You should have just let me protect you, this once.

C'mon. She'll be around to come reset everything we've destroyed soon. Let's just get you somewhere safe.

[With that, the facemask folds back in and resets over his face, and he picks her up. He's honestly glad that she's a little dazed right now, since it gives him time for his own body to try to repair itself. Even now -- scratch that, especially now more than ever -- he doesn't like worrying her.]

How am I supposed to be with my friends if they're getting blown up by Harvesters?

[She doesn't fight the hold, just leans her head against his shoulder, breathing in deep.]

And I wanted you to be there, Retsu...especially today.

I'm not very good at dinner parties or high-society galas, Hisoka. Your family's practically as old as Japan, I figured it'd be some big event in formal dress and I'd just, catch you tomorrow.

[Right. On top of a building that's in tact. He'll set her down on one of the benches meant for employees and then just sit down on the end of it, next to her head.]

I figured, if I could keep anything from happening today, then that'd be good enough.

I don't care about their high class parties and the emptyheaded sycophants who'll show up now that I'm twenty, reminding me I'm a grown woman now with responsibilities to the Fujiwara.

[She reaches up to grab his shirt, sighing.]

I wanted to see you, specifically. Spending time with you is always enough.

[How much blunter does she have to get here, bro.]

[...Well maybe he's a little glad for that mask now. He'll kind of gently pull her into sitting up against him, then. He doesn't know how bad she's hurt from that blast and he doesn't want to make it worse.]

I-I should have realized. I'm sorry, Hisoka. I just... I wanted to protect you.

I know, but...[She reaches up, gently pulling the mask away from his face. She's more tired than anything else,the sort of tired that resonates in your bones and makes everything feel like swimming in jell-o.]

...You can't protect me if you're gone. Kaoru and Emi didn't realize that. I...couldn't stand it if you left too.

[Well, that just cancelled his transformation, so now he's back to normal and she can see how much he's blushing in response to everything that she's said.]

What? I'm not going to abandon you. Not now, after two years, and not ever. I promise, okay? So don't say anything like that again.

[He reaches over with the arm he has around her already, to tuck a lock of that long, white hair behind her ear.]

...If anything, I figured university or family business would take you far from here, maybe some city that doesn't have attacks like this. You shouldn't have to do this for the rest of your life.

...You're really dumb. I can't ignore it. And I can't let the three of you keep doing this until you break under the sources of your power. I know I'm not as powerful, Retsu, but that doesn't mean I can just stand idly by...

[She leans a little into his hand, and sighs.] ...I couldn't bear the thought of leaving too.

...I've always been dumb. Getting an 87 on a History exam didn't fix that, so I guess that nothing is going to.

[He gently strokes her cheek, when she leans into him.]

If you're not going to let me just protect you, then... can you just stay with me?

[Given that she knows how little he has left in the world, even over two years out from that fateful day, that's a powerful question for him to ask her.]

Funny...I thought I already was.

[It's as simple as that. The idea of leaving this town where he'd stayed, specifically, was enough to keep her from dispersing with the others. She breathes out, letting her transformation fade with a gust of cherry blossoms and the warmth of the sun, a the time-stop fades out.

...The forest appears to have stayed, however. Oops.]

...Although I suppose there's something I've never said properly, not to anyone.

Oh yeah? What's that?

[He can fight down his nervousness enough for once to keep calm for this moment. She was somehow harder to face when she wasn't transformed for him, maybe owing to how mundane life was for them both when he wasn't being a hero.

It didn't hurt that was already holding her. It's a little late to get really nervous when you've got someone leaning against you.]

I...

[It's scary, and it probably doesn't help he can pick up her own nervousness, even if by now she should definitely have the power to keep him from reading her. She's never stopped him before, she isn't now, even if she's settled for looking around his adam's apple.]

I don't really know when it happened. But it's been a long time since you stole my heart, Retsu. I couldn't possibly leave now, even if I'd wanted to.

I couldn't tell you when it happened. My thoughts and yours were just similar one day. But I couldn't say that - I didn't want to ruin what we had, and given how dangerous it was back then... I'm just sorry it took this long.

[Even if she's primarily staring at his adam's apple, she probably can see enough of his face to notice that he's grinning at the end, before he hugs her into his chest.]

[She likes hugs! She's good at hugs, which is why she's sneaking her arms around his waist.

YOU WILL BE HUGGED WITH THE GLORY OF THE SUN!]

Just don't keep me waiting any longer.

[He'll finally reach up with that arm he'd left dangling at his side to gently stroke her hair. He must have hurt it in the fight, given how slow it moves.]

I promise I won't.

Good. Now let me see your arm you've been pretending you didn't hurt and I might spare you the lecture.

[Looking down at her, as best as he can given their positions, for a moment while he weighs his options.]

It's not just the arm. They got me pretty good a couple of places. And I'm not taking my shirt off for you in the middle of what's about the be an EMT convention. I'm not getting the Fujiwara heir arrested on her twentieth birthday.

So you'll take it off somewhere else, is what you're saying?

[But she sighs, and settles her hands against his chest, where they start to radiate warmth and a little bit of healing. At least enough to make moving easier.]

That's the best I can do without getting something to eat.

Sure. Somewhere with less prying eyes.

[She can literally feel the warmth radiate through him. Something about being the avatar of vengeance seemed to cause his body temperature to plummet while transformed, even if he himself didn't show any averse effects afterwords.

Now he's just left to wonder if she realizes how this all looks, especially given that they just confessed feelings for each other moments ago.]

[Well, she's leaning up to...kiss his cheek. Apparently she doesn't feel like having a first kiss on top of a building that's about to be crowded.]

Then we should go soon. The EMTs will want to try and keep us.

[All told, that's probably wise. When he stands, he does keep his arm around her, though, at least for the moment.]

Right. I didn't park too far from here. Are you okay to walk, or would you rather be carried?

[He will carry you with a bad arm. Don't think for a second he won't.]

I can walk just fine, don't make that arm of yours worse.

You'll find the elevator down over there.

[When did she get the elevator key--right, it's Hisoka.]

It's amazing how you can draw all of this.

[He takes the key to the elevator. It at least has the power to call to their floor and open and close the door?]

He're hoping it works. After you.

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